Brooks: 2 Months

Brooks,
    Another month has passed and you continue to add so much joy to our family. This month has been so much fun for our family. You are growing so much and changing so much it makes me sad! I am glad you are healthy and growing, I just want it to slow down so you will be my baby a little longer! At 2 months you weigh 12 pounds and are 23.8 inches tall. You are in the 60% for weight and 80% for height. I can't believe how big you are! You are still eating every 3 hours during the day and will sleep about 6 hours at night.

 











    The biggest thing you did this month was sleep through the night! It was Valentine's Day when I woke up and realized that you hadn't woken me up to eat all night. I was so surprised! I was definitely feeling the love that day! You slept through the night a few more times but it isn't consistent. When you do wake up during the night to eat, you normally only wake up once to eat. I think your sleeping is so great at night because you don't sleep that well during the day. You really like to be held when you are sleeping and I can't always do that. When I lay you down for your nap, you wake up after a few minutes when you realize you aren't being held. Also, your brother is a tad loud and that tends to wake you up a lot.

SOOOO BIG!

   During this month you had your first sleepover at somebody else's house. You stayed at your Aunt Sky's house for the night while mommy, daddy, and Hudson went to a Thunder game. I missed you so much! You were great for her and only woke up one time to eat during the night. We couldn't let you feel left out of the Thunder love, so you wore your Thunder get-up.

In your Thunder get-up. "Everyday I'm Thunderin'"

   You smile all the time now! You have the cutest smile! It takes up your whole face and you crinkle your nose when you smile. Every time we sing the little green frog song to you, you squeal and smile the biggest smile. It is so precious! We love you so much and we can't wait to see how your little personality develops. You are such a sweet boy and such a joy!

                                                                                                           Love,
                                                                                                               Mommy

Brooks' Birth Story

Brooks,

    I want to record the story of your birth so that I don't forget anything about your special day. Your birth story is just another example of how much the Lord loves us and cares about the small things in our lives. He loves you so much as has been caring for you before you were even born!

    Throughout my pregnancy with you we had some weird medical things happen. None of them were serious at all, but they were concerning and the Lord took care of them and cleared them up. During the last month of my pregnancy, the doctor discovered you were breech. I was 37 weeks pregnant and she told me it was very unlikely that you were going to flip because of how big you were. She told me that if you hadn't flipped in a week, we would have to schedule a Cesarean. I knew that having you with a c-section wasn't the end of the world, but it was not how I would have planned it. I was pretty disappointed but I knew that the end result would still be you so I was just trying to be ok with it. We prayed that you would flip but I didn't really expect it. The night before I went in for my appointment, I woke up to a really bad pain in my stomach. It lasted a few seconds and then went away. I didn't really think anything of it and went back to sleep. That next morning when we went into our appointment, I was fully expecting to hear that you hadn't flipped and that we would schedule the c-section. To everybody's surprise, you had flipped! I was ecstatic! We were so grateful that the Lord would allow that to happen so that I could deliver you the way I had hoped. We were now going to play the waiting game until you decided to join us!

    Another week went by and you still weren't here. I was pretty uncomfortable and was just ready for you to get here. The doctor and I discussed scheduling an induction and we decided to schedule the induction for January 13. I was going to go in that night and get hooked up to some medicine and hopefully have you on the 14th. I was upset that I didn't go into labor on my own because I wanted to know what it was like since I had to be induced with Hudson. I prayed that it would happen on its own. On Friday, January 11, Sky made me run on the curb with one foot one and one foot off. I felt so silly but I did it hoping that it would start my labor, but nothing happened...until that night. 

    I woke up early Saturday morning with some contractions. They were coming pretty consistently, but after about an hour, they weren't increasing in intensity and then they just kind of died off. About 8am they started up again and by 10 I knew that I should probably get ready to go into the hospital. We showered and gathered up all the things, called the hospital, and off we went. Pooh and Chris met us at the hospital and took Hudson and we got checked in. I was only a 3 by that point so I knew we had a little while. After about 2 hours, the nurse advised me to break my water to help speed things along. She told me that once my water was broken that my contractions would feel a lot worse. I thought she was just being dramatic and I thought I could handle it since I had gotten to an 8 before my epidural with Hudson. I told her I would get my water broken and then get my epidural later. Well, she was not being dramatic! I should have done the epidural first! The contractions were considerably worse but I got the epidural about 30 minutes later and all was better!

Waiting on you to get here!

    I sat at a 5 for about 5 hours and decided to get some Pitocin. I am not a fan of Pitocin but I needed something to get things moving. I got a very small dose and an hour later I was ready to have you. My doctor wasn't there so I had to wait to push for about 30 minutes. Once she got there, I had you so fast! You were so big! You weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and you were 20 1/2 inches long. You had a head full of hair and bright eyes! You were so alert and barely cried. You got a 9 on your APGAR and we were just so proud to show you off!

  

 Your birth story reminds me of God's love for us. He cares about the small things, like me being able to deliver you and go into labor on my own. He is so faithful and I always wonder why I question things, when I know He is in control! Your birthday was so wonderful and full of precious memories. We are so glad you came when and how you did!

  

                                                                                                                       Love, 

                                                                                                                          Mommy

It's Been A While! 2 years old!

Hudson,
    It has been a while since I documented everything what you are doing, but that doesn't mean it is because you haven't changed. You are so much fun. You are talking so well. People are always surprised by your age when they hear you talk because you are so well-spoken. You articulate things well and most words are pretty clear. Now that you talk better, you are pretty bossy! You like to tell everybody what to do. I think you think it is your job to manage everybody around you. I guess being the first born it just comes naturally for you! Some funny little things you say "I wipe mommy's kisses off (you wipe my kisses off every single time you stinker!), "That's funny right there!", "That be fun mom!", "You okay momma?" You are very expressive and I love hearing what is on your mind.
    Your imagination is growing each day too. Your newest thing is thinking you have some sort of special powers. You hold your arm straight out and "spray" (shoot) people. If a car is coming you always put your arm out and spray it. You will either just stare it down or tell it to turn. You will walk up to our car and turn it on. We will push the remote to make the lights flash or honk the horn but you don't know that. You honestly think that you are controlling the car. Sometimes you try your powers on people as they walk by...it doesn't really have the same results!
    There have been some big changes around our house lately. The first thing is that you are going to be a big brother! We recently found out you are going to have a little brother. You like to say your brother's name and you seem pretty excited about having a baby around. I know you are going to be a great big brother. You are such a leader and I know that you will be showing him the ropes in no time. Another change is that you have a new room. We moved you to your big boy bed and new room to give your brother the crib. You were pretty excited about it at first but the last week or two have been pretty rough. You wake up a lot at night and your naps have been suffering. Hopefully you adjust soon!
    Lately you have become attached to cars. You love the movie, the toys, everything! You love Lightning McQueen. Any red car is Lightning McQueen. You love to take all of your cars and drive them around. You like to drive them all over the walls in the house. The days have definitely started where it is not safe to walk around barefoot. There are always cars on the floor!
    You are such a joy to be around. Your daddy and I love you so much and I am so thankful I get the opportunity to be your mommy. I love you baby boy!

So I Won't Forget

Hudson has done some pretty funny things and done sweet things that I have already forgotten. It makes me so sad that I won't remember those funny or sweet things, so I am going to write them down as often as I can.

- The other day we were driving in the car, well past bedtime, and it had been so quiet that I thought he was asleep. Out of nowhere Hudson says "Mommy there is something in my nose!" I asked him if it was a booger and he said "Yes sir!". About a minute later he said "Mommy, there is something on my finger!", followed a few seconds later by "I wiped it on my carseat mommy." Gross kid!

- I was boiling water one day in my kettle and it started whistling to let me know it was ready. Hudson ran into the kitchen saying "What is making all that noise?". He noticed the steam coming out of the kettle that was still screaming at me and he yelled "What is happening?!"

- Daniel and I were sitting on the couch one night and Daniel said "Look Hudson, I love your mommy." and then he gave me a kiss. Hudson walked right over to me, kissed me on my lips, then kissed my cheek. It was so sweet I teared up. Normally, I have to ask for kisses from him and after I kiss him he tells me that he wipes mommy's kisses off.

- We were laying on the couch one night and I was watching my belly move from Brooks kicking. Hudson ran over and put his car on my belly and told Brooks to kick the car off. He put his hand on my belly and Brooks kicked. Hudson's face lit up. He crawled up on the couch with me and said "Hi Brooks!". I can already tell he is going to be such a good big brother.

- After Hudson woke up from his nap at Presleigh's house, Presleigh came over to see him. Hudson was a little out of it still and wasn't paying much attention to her. She leaned over by his face, smiled, and sweetly said "He is pretty." A few seconds went by and Hudson said "I not pretty...I Hudson Porter McMains." haha

- Hudson is pretty much obsessed with dragons, monsters, and guns. Each night when it is time to put him to bed, we tell him a story. They always involve Hudson the brave warrior. He truly believes that he can "spray" dragons and monsters. If I say that he is something, such as funny or a toot, he will correct me and say no, I Hudson brave warrior.

- Hudson came up to me and said "You want to play with toys Mommy? You my best friend!"

Brooks: 1 Month

Brooks,

   You are already one month old! It seems like we have had you so much longer than that, but it also feels like we just had you. You fit so perfectly into our little family. At this point in your life, you are pretty easy-going. You eat every 2-3 hours and poop ALL. THE. TIME! Seriously. We change diapers constantly. You are also a really good sleeper. You sleep about 5 hours at night. Thank you for that!     You are so big buddy! You already outgrew your newborn clothes and fit quite nicely in your 0-3 month stuff. People are always surprised when I tell them how old you are. They say that you must have been born a month or two late because you just look so big and alert! (I am pretty sure you smiled too. I know people say that babies don't smile until 6 weeks old, but you smiled at your daddy at 2 weeks. He would talk to you and say can you smile, and you did it every time!) You are such a good baby too. You are just so content and love to cuddle. You get pretty upset if you aren't being held, but I don't mind. I will take those cuddles as long as you are giving them out! 

Proof that you were smiling! 

Such a big boy! Huge belly!

    During your first month of life you have had a lot going on. You had lots of people wanting to come see you. You also had a little jaundice so we had to keep you under lights and go to the hospital each day to get your blood levels checked. It was so sad seeing them poke your foot! You would cry for a few seconds and then settle down. You are so tough and brave! You also had your newborn pictures taken. They are so precious. I will cherish those pictures forever. 

    Sweet boy, we love you so much and are so happy that you are part of our family now!

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                    Love, 

                                                                                                                      Mommy

Brooks Michael McMains

To my second baby boy,

    We are so excited you are joining our family! We love you so much already. Your daddy and I always knew we wanted another little one after having Hudson and we are glad to have the opportunity to raise you. I found out I was pregnant with you on May 1. I wanted to have you so badly that I took several tests way too early. I finally decided on Sunday, April 29th that I would take the final test and if it said I wasn't pregnant I would just accept it. The test came back negative and my heart was broken. I was so upset because I just knew I was pregnant. I had a feeling and when the test said no I just couldn't believe it. I wanted to have you so badly. Two days later I was feeling really sleepy and nauseous and I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was pregnant. I took a test again but didn't tell your daddy because I had promised I wouldn't take any more. This test came back positive and I was so excited! Tears rushed to my eyes as I imagined you growing in my tummy and thinking about how our lives were going to change, all for the better. When I told your daddy that afternoon he couldn't believe it! We were thrilled!
   I got to see you when you were 9 weeks old. My doctor doesn't normally do an ultrasound that early but she did for us and I was so thankful. You were so tiny. I was so thankful to see your little tiny heart beating. Around this time, my belly started growing! I am definitely bigger with you than I was with your brother!
   I got to see you again 3 weeks later for our big ultrasound. You looked so precious on the screen. You are measuring big, which is different than your brother. We got to see your profile and all of your organs. You looked so perfect! They saw a blood clot on this ultrasound, which scared mommy to death, but the Lord healed that and it was completely gone by 20 weeks.
    We found out that you were a boy on August 18th. We did a pinata filled with candy like we did for your brother. We thought it would be fun to start this little tradition. Your family came to find out what you were and we were so surprised when blue candy came out! Because this pregnancy has been so different than it was with Hudson, we all just assumed I was having a girl. We are so excited that you are a boy though! We are thrilled that the Lord is blessing us with another boy and that you and Hudson will be best buds. 

Look at those lips! 

   A few days after we found out you were a boy, I got a call from my doctor saying they found cysts on your brain. I was so scared that it was something serious, but we just had to wait and check again at your 30 week ultrasound. We prayed that the Lord would completely take them away, and He was so faithful and healed that too! We were so very thankful.
  I don't really know when I felt you start moving. When I first started feeling you it was so tiny. I only felt you at night and it was very sporadic. I thought that this would be how you were throughout the pregnancy but I was very wrong. You are a little ninja! Your kicks are punches are pretty intense! You will wake me up at night with your movements! You are not letting me forget that you are a strong little boy!
   I am now 37 weeks pregnant and we cannot wait to meet you. Everything is almost ready for your arrival. Hudson talks about you all the time and we are just so ready to see you! You can come whenever you like little buddy! We love you so much!
                                                                                                            - Mommy

   

Public Disasters!

    This blog post has been brought about due to some rather unfortunate events that have taken place the last couple of days. On Friday my sister and I decided to take the babies to McDonald's to play in the play area since it was too cold to play outside. After about an hour and a half of playing and getting close to nap time, we decided to go. On our way out to the car Hudson decided to flip out because I wouldn't let him walk to the car. I let him down and told him he must hold my hand since we were walking across the drive through area. He hit my hand away and wouldn't hold my hand. I picked him back up and told him he couldn't walk since he wouldn't hold my hand. He then proceeded to lean his head back and ram it into my ear as hard as he could. I am pretty sure he bruised my cartilage because I couldn't even sleep on that side of my head that night. I was lying in pain thinking, why does he do this in public every time? At home, he would have gotten a spanking or time out. In public, I can't just put him in time out and I am so scared if I spank him in public that I am going to get turned in. I was just thinking "I guess I will just have to work through this. It will get better with age."
    THEN, Saturday night happened and I knew I couldn't just make it work. I have to figure out what to do when we are in public. We took Hudson to a Chinese restaurant after church and the first five minutes weren't so bad. He threw a small fit about getting in his high chair, but after he had some food, he didn't really seem to mind. Five minutes later, you would have thought we were killing him. He kept screaming "Sit!" and pointing to me. (Hudson doesn't pronounce his "s's" very well and all of his s's sound like sh. Put that together in your head and he was yelling something very loudly that was pretty embarrassing!) I took him out of his high chair and he kept screaming. I took him to the bathroom to spank him, but by the time I got there,  he had calmed down. I talked with him, he told me he was sorry, gave me a kiss and told me he would be better. He lied. As soon as we walked out, he was back to screaming. I was mortified so we just got to go boxes and high tailed it out of there.
    So here is my dilemma...He is too young to understand going to the bathroom to get a spanking. By the time we get there he has forgotten what we are going back there for. I know this because I tried a different time to go to the bathroom for discipline and the whole way back to the bathroom he was making silly faces at customers and laughing. I can't put him in time out in public. I really have no idea what to do in public when my son misbehaves. He is smart enough to know he is getting away with it. At home he doesn't act out like that very often, but when he does, he gets in trouble. So this is why I say I have reached a failure in my parenting. I have no idea what to do. I need help!

By the way, I used to be one of those people without kids that would look at children misbehaving in public and think "I will never have a kid like that. If they got in trouble for stuff like that at home, they wouldn't act that way in public. The parents must be doing something wrong! I will never do that!" And now I just laugh at my stupid, pre-kid self. So maybe this is God's way of showing me never to judge a situation I know nothing about. I am just eating crow...3 years later.